Editor’s note: This commentary is by Faisal Gill, the chair of the Vermont Democratic Party.
[W]ith one stroke of the pen, Gov. Phil Scott turned Montpelier into Washington. By vetoing the budget, Gov. Scott set a very dangerous precedent in Vermont. The governor thinks it is acceptable to play games with our most important piece of legislation: the state budget bill. He thinks it is OK to veto a budget if you don’t get your way on another unrelated policy matter. That is exactly what takes place in Washington, D.C.
The House, by a near-unanimous vote (only one vote against) of Democratic, Republican and Progressive members, passed a budget bill. The Senate passed the budget bill unanimously. This level of tri-partisanship is almost unprecedented. Scott praised the Democratic-led Legislature at that time, saying, “I want to give credit where credit’s due. I’ve said before my line in the sand has been no new taxes and fees and they’ve adhered to that and I’ve appreciated that. I know it doesn’t come easily.”
Then toward the end of the legislative session, Gov. Scott decided to inject a divisive last-minute proposal that undermines collective bargaining. He undoubtedly pleased national Republicans by proposing to eliminate local collective bargaining for teachers as it relates to their health insurance benefits. He would force them to negotiate instead with the state, which is not their employer. Gov. Scott claimed his proposal would save money, but we know that in other states where Republicans take over, breaking unions is a first order of business. Thankfully the Legislature rejected his last-minute proposal in an amendment to the yield bill. The proposal was dead.
Gov. Scott then stated that if the Legislature does not force teachers to negotiate health care on a statewide basis, he would veto the budget. Since the Legislature did not, the governor made good on his dangerous promise.
Vetoing the budget has grave consequences. Without a budget, the government shuts down. There will be no state police, no state social workers to protect vulnerable children, no state services of any kind until a budget is in place. There is no other mechanism to provide for emergency services in Vermont except by having a budget in place.
No governor should be allowed to hold the budget hostage to get his or her way on another unrelated policy measure. To allow this would give every governor the right to play chicken with the Legislature about shutting down government.
It is absolutely each governor’s right and responsibility to veto a budget that they disagree with. However, here, Gov. Scott agrees with the budget and supports it, but vetoed it anyway because of a completely different policy matter that cannot be in the budget. In essence, he wants to place pressure on the Legislature to force teachers to negotiate health care on a statewide basis. This is exactly what takes place in Washington, D.C.
The national Republicans in D.C. regularly refuse to pass the budget because they are not getting their way on some other policy matter. In 2013, national Republicans refused to fund the government unless President Obama agreed to delay the provisions of Affordable Care Act. This impasse partially shut down the federal government for two weeks. We see this regularly when it’s time to raise the debt ceiling or even attempting to defund Planned Parenthood. National Republicans hold the budget hostage until they get their way on a certain policy.
Gov. Scott has taken Vermont to the brink of a government shutdown for his own political benefit. I am sure taking on teachers will play very well with the right-wing donors to the national Republican Governors Association, such as the Koch Brothers. That group spent heavily to elect Gov. Scott. But this kind of irresponsible brinksmanship is not what Vermonters have come to expect from their governor and their government.
Whether you agree with the Scott proposal or not, there is a much bigger principle to protect. No governor, whether Democratic, Republican or Progressive, should be allowed to hold the budget hostage to get his or her way on another unrelated policy measure. To allow this would give every governor the right to play chicken with the Legislature about shutting down government. What is next? Will the governor veto next year’s budget if he has another last-minute right-wing idea the Legislature rightfully rejects? This precedent has been set by Gov. Scott and should be rejected by Vermonters.
Vermonters should call on the governor to stop catering to national Republicans and their extreme right-wing anti-worker agenda, and instead work in good faith to put the responsible budget overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature into law. That’s the job voters elected him to do, and it’s time to end the political games and put Vermonters’ interests ahead of national Republicans.
